You can now book yourself onto "Diabetes Book and Learn"
About the Service
Almost 9,000 patients living with Diabetes in south London have now benefited from the flexibility of the Diabetes Book & Learn service and been offered the chance to attend a structured education course of their choice, either online or offiline.
Structured education has been proven to help patients with diabetes self-manage their condition better, and the increase in use of this service is helping get towards the Long Term Plan goal of 20% of people with diabetes to have attended education by 2021.
To mark World Diabetes Day (14 November 2019) there will be a public launch for the self-referral functionality to support even more people living with Type 2 diabetes to get access to vital education courses.
Please note: this does not replace the need for GP's to continue to refer patients but rather aims to provide an option for patients who we know do not engage with primary care in general.
Health benefits
Structured education has been proven to:
- Lower average blood glucose levels, thereby reducing the risk of complications.
- Reduce cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
- Improve levels of physical activity.
- Improve understanding of diabetes and self-management skills.
- Help people to lose weight.
What the service offers patients
- Flexibility - 26% of patients have attended courses outside their home borough and 16% of people have enrolled on digital/remote courses.
- New and inclusive courses - with availability in sports clubs and in different languages.
- A streamlined booking process - with an online booking system and a dedicated phone line offering personalised advice and help with booking.
The aim of the NHS Long Term Plan is for 20% of people with diabetes to have education by 2021.
Making courses more easily accessible for patients will be key to delivering on this goal, and the Diabetes Book & Learn service aims to do just that.
For more information about this please see below:
